St. John of the Cross
This Spanish Mystic’s literary work
typically reflected his spiritual experiences. Saint John of the Cross
experienced many events in his life that led to his ascetic beliefs. Within
some of these events, he had felt the otherworldly presence of God, the
Beloved. The impact of these encounters influenced him to write down his
experiences. Certain lessons learned through the meetings were written in his
poetry and other pieces. Many mystical scholars have come to understand that
even though his work is not overtly autobiographical, there are hidden messages
of what he had learned from the Divine.
Saint John
of the Cross’s writings wove the meanings of his meetings with God into artful
literature. His works include but are not limited to The Living Flame of Love, The
Dark Night of the Soul, Ecstasy of Contemplation, and The Most Holy Trinity (The
complete works of Saint John of the Cross, of the Order of Our Lady of Mount
Carmel : John of the Cross, Saint, 1542-1591, 1864). Within these works, he
never directly expresses his accounts in the self-narrative sense, but within
each stanza, his words show such vulnerability and personal feelings that it
can be safely implied that these works depict his experiences, more abstractly.
In his work On a Dark Night, he wrote, “Sweeter that night, than morning light,
For Love did loving meet, I knew him well, and we could dwell, in ecstasy
complete. I gave him there, My thought, my care, So did my spirit flower. Love
lay at rest, Upon my breast, That cedar-scented hour. “(Jones, 2001, p. 21). The
inclusion of nature imagery is frequent with mystics, so his writings already
draw comparisons to typical mystical experiences. The vivid depictions of
smells and visuals give the impression that Saint John did, in fact, experience
some visions or mystical experiences of sorts as his senses were heightened in
the presence of the Divine.
The writings
of Saint John of the Cross reflected his beliefs about the relationship one
should develop with the Divine, focusing more on that deep connection between
humans and God rather than focusing on the Church. This distinct relationship
can be defined as becoming a mystic. In Saint John of the Cross, the
scholar wrote, “The general impression that emerges from reading John’s works
is that of man’s diversity and unity.” (Cugno, p. 65). The author later writes further
down on the page that the “diversity” humans experience can be mapped out by
thinking of ways our beings can be defined by desire, silence, openness, community,
and love. The “unity” expressed by John correlates to the “diversity”. In all
the ways humans are different there is commonality in their experiences as
widely different people, existing heterogeneously. (Cugno, p. 65). Unity is a driving factor in the saint’s
literature as it was something he always advocated for. Alongside unity, he
promoted acts of detachment in his work which makes sense for his ascetic
nature.
Ahmad Sirhindi
As Ahmad Sirhindi lived during the
beginning of the Mughal Empire, he wrote many mystical works stating his
beliefs surrounding Sufism and the Divine that stand hand in hand with his
politics regarding the empire. Many mystics have created a legacy with their
creative works, in this instance, his writings have been foundational for those
who practice a more traditional system of Islam. His mystical experiences and beliefs
align with those of typically Sufis but with a fundamental outlook on those
practices.
The mystic
is known for criticizing the common religious practices under the first Emperor
of the Mughal Empire, Akbar, as Sirhindi and some other practicing Muslims
following his work were worried that the new religion was sacrilegious and
defacing their Islamic practices. This proposed threat to Sirhindi’s connection
to what he understood to be Divine influenced a lot of what he had experienced
and believed. Based on the writings of Annemarie
Schimmel, a scholar of Islam, “For Sirhindi, the experience of wahdat
al-wzud precedes that of wahdat as-guhud, in which the mystic,
turning his eyes again to the world, 'knows that the stars exist, though he
also sees only the sun’.” (1973, p. 202). The two phrases ‘wahdat al-wzud’ and
‘wahdat as-guhud’ are important to note as they pertain directly to the
ideas of Sirhindi and his faith within the religion of Islam. He firmly
believed that God was separate from His creation.
The separation of humans from the Divine source is a strong belief for Sirhindi. Many mystics agree that there is a sort of reconnection to the Source that people should do, and Ahamd Sirhindi is one of them. The difference between him and others is that he does not believe that we are all necessarily a part of God but something that was created. There is a different dynamic and relationship between humans and God between those two beliefs. It was and still is common for Sufis to connect themselves with the Divine through writing, which was also the case for Sirhindi. Creating loving illustrations and romantic devotions through words and imagery have been great ways to exhibit one’s desire to connect and give praise to Allah (Nicholls, 2020, p. 72). Even though there is debate about the use of poetry in Islam, it is a foundational practice for most mystics in the Islamic faith.
Sources
Clissold, S. (1977). The Wisdom of the Spanish mystics.
New Directions Pub. Co.
Wilhelmsen, E. (1993). Knowledge
and symbolization in Saint John of the Cross. P. Lang.
Cugno, A. (1982). Saint John of the Cross : reflections
on mystical experience. Seabury Press.
Jones, K. (2001). Poems of St. John of the Cross.
Burns & Oates.
Nicholls, Ruth J. E., &. Riddell, Peter G, E.
(2020). Insights Into Sufism: Voices From the Heart. Cambridge
Scholars Publishing.
Schimmel, A. (1973).
The Sufi Ideas of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi. Die Welt Des Islams, 14(1/4),
199–203. https://doi.org/10.2307/1570032
The complete works of Saint John of the
Cross, of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel : John of the Cross, Saint,
1542-1591 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.
(1864). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/completeworksofs02johnuoft/completeworksofs02johnuoft/page/n17/mode/2up
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